Every year, Trees Atlanta volunteers grab their shovels and plant thousands of trees in dozens of Atlanta neighborhoods, but sometimes it takes more than a shovel and a strong back to plant a tree.

Through a partnership with the City of Atlanta, City of Decatur, and a host of other clients, Trees Atlanta is able to supplement its volunteer efforts with professional plantings by contractors who are equipped with heavy equipment such as concrete saws to cut tree wells in sidewalks and tree spades to lift and plant larger trees. The locations for these contractor plantings include (but are not limited to) sidewalks, parks, green-spaces, and public right-of-ways.

Contractors moving large trees by bulldozer to be planted in Downtown Atlanta.

Tree wells, created by cutting out concrete.	American Elms planted in tree wells.

One of Trees Atlanta's initiatives is to plant trees along major traffic corridors -- North Avenue, Metropolitan Parkway, Boulevard, and others. Not only will these new trees beautify Atlanta roads and highways, but rearch has found that street trees slow traffic, reduce the noise and air pollution from cars and trucks, and encourage pedestrians to walk along these roadways.

Trees Atlanta also considers how well a particular tree species tolerates urban conditions - and is continually experimenting to find the right mix of tree species for Atlanta's busiest areas. The right tree for the right location is important. While loblolly pines, oaks, and elms perform best only in public right-of-ways without power lines, understory trees like crape myrtles and redbuds are better choices under power lines. Selecting the right tree for the right place keeps trees safe and healthy so that they may grow to their full potential and provide innumerable benefits to all those who live and work in and visit Atlanta.

Large trees by Trees Atlanta are typically maintained by the Urban Forestry Crew for up to three years to ensure establishment in harsh urban environments; maintenance includes fertilization, mulching, proper pruning to promote long-term structural health, and watering.

For questions, or to suggest potential tree locations, contact Director of Operations Linc Weis.